So I've used my Palm Zire 72s for a LONG time.
It's done everything from write papers, to keep assignments organized, to playing music and browsing the web. The SDIO wifi card I have for it has apparently stopped working and it no longer does a lot of the things I want out of a portable device. I've soldered the headphone connector twice now, and if it breaks again I'm going to replace it.
In preparation for this replacement I'm looking for a new device that fits my needs.
-Plays music. I would need either an SD card reader OR sync to iTunes. I currently have playlists set up in iTunes that I dump onto my stack of SD cards and carry around my music and podcasts that way. It would be really nice to get the metadata back into iTunes (ratings, playcount, last played) but it's not essential
-WiFi. Though not completely ubiquitous, you can get wifi almost everywhere and it's almost always free.
-Not a cell phone. I'm not paying a monthly fee for a device. I have a firm standing on this. A device is not a service and I won't pay for a subsidy to the original cost of the device. One device below will break this rule, but is available unlocked.
-Web browser. I want to be able to hop on the 'net and google stuff. Facebook, google voice and Gmail are a must. Google docs would be nice. (This blog post was composed in google docs)
-VOIP. This is not a necessity, but it would be smart if I could make calls using the wifi connection. I'd like to tether a voip account to my google voice number if possible.
So far I've come up with a list of candidates that fit all of these needs in some respects. Here they are in no particular order.
Google Nexus One, unlocked without a GSM SIM card $529
The Nexus One does everything I could ask, with the possibility that voip would be a pain because it's a phone. It's also the most expensive device on the list, so this is a very unlikely choice.
Pros - VERY fast, Google integration, It has a nice camera
Cons - It's a phone, Cost, doesn't sync with iTunes
Apple iPod Touch 8 GB $199 - 32 GB $299
The iPod Touch meets all the requirements, with some weirdness in the browser department. Apple products don't support Adobe Flash and that introduces a world of hurt on some websites. But, most of those websites have done a good job of making a version of the site that works in mobile safari thanks to the iPhone. The app store is also locked down, only apple approved software.
Pros - Probably the cheapest device unless I want the bigger one, syncs with iTunes, more apps available, popular device with plentiful support
Cons - Locked down app store, no Flash, no removable storage
Nokia n810 Internet Tablet $229
The Nokia is a great device, if you know what you're looking for. There is a voip app, web browser with flash lite, and it works great with google docs. It has removable storage, but it's not a straight SD card so I'd be buying media. I've also read reviews that the media features are a little clunky, but so is my palm.
Pros - Adobe Flash support, removable storage, browser does google docs, GPS
Cons - Obscure device with questionable support, fewer apps
Archos 5 Android tablet $389
This is basically an android phone without a camera, or the android marketplace.
Pros - Android, 160 GB, GPS (subscription)
Cons - No access to the android marketplace, without google integration the Android OS doesn't mean much, physical disk
Palm Lifedrive Used on ebay "buy it now" $105 bids slightly lower
This device would fit my needs, it has built in wifi and does everything my Zire72s did when the card was working. It may be cheap, but it's also used and the hard drive is a physical disk instead of flash memory. If I happened to win one for $50 or so, it might happen.
Pros - Cheap, same basic workflow as my current system
Cons - Obsolete, used, spinning disk is just waiting to fail
I don't really know why more device manufacturers aren't making devices that fit into this category. I guess going for the cheap-ass customer doesn't pay off in the long run. But making something useful with the same hardware you use on your smartphone handsets and selling it stand-alone could be a way to build a user base among the masses, just like Apple did. I'm leaning heavily toward the iPod Touch because it's a popular device that comes with a warranty and has a robust community around it. There were days when I wanted to be an outsider interested in the niche stuff, but I was also a mac guy for a long time because Apple products usually "just work".
Posted via web from coryk's posterous
